PHILADELPHIA - A Roman Catholic priest in the Philadelphia area has been accused of sexually abusing a minor more than 30 years ago.

The Philadelphia archdiocese on Monday announced the allegation against Msgr. Michael Flood, who denies wrongdoing.

The archdiocese says the alleged victim filed a civil lawsuit last week in Delaware. The plaintiff is not identified by name; he is described as a student at St. John Neumann High School in Philadelphia, where Flood taught in the late 1970s.

Church officials say they cannot begin their own investigation because the plaintiff is unnamed. They say the 71-year-old priest will continue serving as pastor at St. Luke the Evangelist parish in Glenside.

Flood is voluntarily refraining from unsupervised ministry to young people.